Evaluating the Penguins Start to the 2019-20 Season

Jake+Guentzel+and+Sidney+Crosby+warmup+against+the+Blackhawks+

Brandon Karafilis

Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby warmup against the Blackhawks

It is safe to say that the Penguins have had an unusual and strange start to the season. The first 25 games have shown the fans that this team can get through and overcome any obstacle that comes their way. The Penguins have already had to deal with injuries as they lost several keys players so far. They have also shown to be an offensive threat among the league as well as showing how good they can be defensively as well. These first 25 games gives the fans hope that the Penguins can bring the city of Pittsburgh another Stanley Cup.

Throughout the first 25 games, the Penguins are at an impressive 14-7-4 record, 32 points. That has them at third in the division and seventh in the entire league. Their penalty kill has proven to be phenomenal being third best in the league while also scoring four short handed goals as well. The power play on the other hand is struggling tremendously. Of course, it is hard to produce on the power play when Malkin, Galchenyuk, Crosby, Letang and Schultz have all been in and out of the lineup. Regardless, they have shown that they can produce and just need time and chemistry to start scoring five on four again. Murray and Jarry have shown to be the dynamic duo. Jarry currently leads the entire league in goals against average and save percentage.

Injuries have haunted the Penguins so far this season. They only have six players who have dressed for all 25 games. Bryan Rust missed the first 11 games of the season with a wrist injury. Evgeni Malkin, Nick Bjustad and Alex Galchenyuk all got hurt in the second game of the season against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Malkin missed 11 games and Galchenyuk missed 10 games. Bjustad ended up retuning after a few weeks but got injured again causing him to only play in 10 games in total this season. Brian Dumolin also missed four games dealing with personal problems and the birth of his first son.

Kris Letang missed 7 games with a lower body injury. Justin Schultz is still currently out and will be out for 8 weeks after sustaining an injury at practice. He has missed four games so far. Patric Hornqvist also missed 7 games when he suffered an injury after blocking a shot against the Dallas Stars. And last, but certainly not least, Sidney Crosby will be out 6-8 weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery. This is a tremendous loss for the Pens as he has already missed 8 games. This is an unlucky team who still overcomes all the odds.

With all of the injuries means that players have stepped up in the absence of the stars. After coming back from injury, Bryan Rust has been on absolute fire. Rust has put up 17 points in only 14 games. He has 9 goals and 8 assist while also be a +9 on the season. This has certainly been a bounce back year for him so far and the season is still so young. Evgeni Malkin knew he needed to step up with the absence of Crosby for so long.

In only 14 games this year, Malkin has put up 19 points. He has done the majority of that without Crosby and without Phil Kessel who was traded in the offseason. Malkin is also looking for a bounce back year after the injures and slumps he encountered last year. Malkin has 6 goals and 13 assists making him a +4 with only 4 penalty minutes. Another great start to the season is forward Jared McCann. After being traded to Pittsburgh from Florida Feb.1 at the trade deadline, McCann has shown how valuable and highly skilled he is. So far, in 23 games played, McCann has put up 9 goals and 8 assists totaling to 17 points while also be a +14. McCann has a beautiful shot while also being apart of the penalty kill and on the second power play unit.

He has also play center and wing through the season thus far. Another player who has had a phenomenal start to the season is Jake Guentzel. With or without Crosby, Guentzel has now shown how talent and and skilled he is. So far, in all 25 games, Guentzel has put up 14 goals and 11 assists for a total of 25 points. He is a scoring machine and should be taken seriously from all teams around the league.

The biggest shock to everyone in the entire league is rookie defenseman John Marino. The Penguins acquired him over the summer from the Edmonton Oilers for only a sixth round draft pick. Marino has shown to be one of the best players each and every game on the ice while going against the other teams top stars.

Marino is only 22 years old and has shown to be playing like a veteran. Marino is currently on a five game point streak and is a +10 with only 8 penalty minutes. He has put up 2 goals and 9 assists for 11 points in only 23 games so far in his rookie season. Marino scored his first career goal against the Boston Bruins on a breakaway after coming out of the penalty box and giving the Penguins a 4-3 lead in the game. Marino is a fabulous skater with great puck awareness. The entire league should watch out for him as he’ll be a top 10 defenseman in the NHL in the next upcoming years.

The Penguins have been challenged already this season with goaltending, injuries and much more. They have proven to be a scoring threat and a shut down defensive team. The Penguins have a lot of depth that can score too. The Penguins have a great chance at making it deep into the playoffs this year and shouldn’t be overlooked by any team. They are a hard team to play against as Mike Sullivan wants them to be. They have only had a fully 100% healthy roster for two periods. That’s it. Just imagine what they’re going to be like when they get fully healthy. Murray and Jarry are playing at their complete best and the defense has helped them out tremendously. If Galchenyuk starts to score, Crosby gets back from injury and the power play starts producing, don’t be surprised to see the Penguins be the best team in the league at the end of the season.